BMC to Get More Drive-in Vaccination Centres in 24 Hours for Senior Citizens, Specially-abled People

Maharashtra’s capital city Mumbai will have more drive-in vaccination centres soon to help senior citizens and specially-abled people to get their Covid-19 vaccines while sitting in a vehicle and without standing in a queue. The decision was taken after people demanded for more such drive-in centres for senior citizens after overcrowding was reported at several walk-in facilities. Acting on the same, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) instructed administrative zones across Mumbai to set up more drive-in facility within 24 hours exclusively for senior citizens.

“This is a good initiative and will really help people. It will be a success if they have good medical staff to take care. It is so good that there is no line and no crowd. We have been spared of all those troubles,” said a senior citizen at Dadar drive-in facility, which saw 200 cars and over 400 beneficiaries on its inaugural day.

The Dadar drive-in facility itself is no less than a jumbo vaccination centre which has a capacity of administering 5,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine on a daily basis to all eligible age groups. However, senior citizens and those aged people who cannot afford to stand in queues for long hours will be vaccinated in these drive-in facility.

Assistant Commissioner of G/North Ward, Kiran Dighavkar, who set up this first of its kind drive-in facility in Mumbai, said, “Since BMC could not get permission from central government for door-to-door vaccination drive, this is a new way through which elderly or bed-ridden people can come here and get the jabs without having to step out of their cars.”

However, the new drive-in vaccination centres will have some strict criteria to fulfil. These drive-in vaccination centres will be set up in big open spaces or grounds such as Andheri Sports Club ground, Cooperage ground, Shivaji Stadium, Oval Maidan, Brabourne stadium, MIG ground, MCA ground or Reliance JIO garden.

All Zonal Deputy Municipal Commissioners of their respective zones will have to ensure that drive-in facility should have certain essentials in place. These are:

1. A single-lane barricades for maneuvering of vehicles, inlet-outlet control shall be ensured so that there are no traffic jams on adjoining roads.

2. Adequate and proper temporary shelters to be set up for vaccination area – this for vaccination staff, patients of AEFI, ambulance etc.

3. Adequate mobile toilets and drinking water facility to be provided.

Moreover, beneficiaries citizens will not be allowed to self-drive after taking the jab. He/she should be accompanied by an attendant or a driver in each vehicle. Registration on CoWIN App along with an appointment is a mandatory.

Meanwhile, Mumbai reported 3,056 new Covid-19 cases and 69 deaths on Thursday, pushing its caseload to 6,68,355 and death toll to 13,616, the BMC had said. Daily rise in coronavirus cases in the country’s financial capital remained below 4,000 for the sixth day in a row.

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